Paradise V
by Dakk Tribal
Summary: After successfully eloping away from Tycoon, Bartz and his lover Princess Lenna take refuge on a tropical island inhabited by moogles and while they take their time enjoying their private setting, obstacles pop up to test their vacation and their resolve / BartzxLenna fluff, lemon maybe later
1. Chapter 1

The moment the door was opened was the moment Lenna turned from where she stood.

"Oh, glad to see you're awake Your Highness, kupo!"

The pink haired twenty year old smiled lovingly at the moogle, "Thank you, Mooge, but you do not have to give royal titles while I am here. I am simply Lenna while I am here."

"Ah, very well...Lenna, heehee," said Mooge as he brought in the cart he had brought with him. It was a pretty good sized cart when compared to the servant needing to use it but he managed it better than anyone had the right to expect.

Lenna went over to the table and began to inspect the food before her. It was quite lavish, just like she had whenever she was at the castle. All of the basic food groups were abound in the selection before her, and she honestly didn't know where to start.

"By the way, may I ask where your partner is, kupo? When I left earlier he was with you but now he's-"

Lenna brought a delicate finger to her lips, "He'll be back very soon."

The moogle went about his business, taking the Princess' word as fact and continued his duty. "Good to know that you two were able to show up without issue. There was a nasty storm that blew through here not that long ago and whenever that happens travelling to the island can be very dangerous, kupo."

Lenna knew this to be true. "Very much so, Bartz and I were very lucky to catch the last ferry to the island before that storm passed through." Though she kept the more intimate details to herself, Lenna wasn't exaggerating on her story. They had indeed managed to make it to the island by the skin of their teeth, but not when they were trying to outrun the storm. It had been when they had to outrun the castle guards that had pursued her and Bartz when they had fled the castle on her sister the Queen's order. From one storm to another, and yet they still made it to their destination to elope together.

They had arrived very late in the night and it was only an hour or so ago that Lenna had finally woken up from her slumber. She need not fear of her sister's retribution for a while at least, and she intended to enjoy herself for the long haul. After she changed out of her dirty yellow dress that is

"I would like a change of clothes before I step outside, please," she asked politely.

The moogle nodded feverishly, "Of course Your-Lenna, miss, I will ask Mr. Mog to help you with that, kupo!" He finished putting out the plates and glasses and from there he completed his duty for the time being. "Alrighty, kupo. I will leave you two to eat and be back for the cart in a little over an hour. Enjoy yourselves, kupo."

The moogle floated away and Lenna waved farewell before turning back to the balcony. It had been nearly an hour since Bartz and left her to go check on his chocobo. There was a stall nearby and in the rush they had during the storm Bartz had said it was a miracle that Boko had survived the trip considering how hard he had pushed him.

Lenna went to the balcony and sighed loudly, an act unbecoming of a princess but she didn't care. She felt free, more free than she had ever been before today. Being on this secret island, one her father had told her about when she had been a little girl, was possibly the closest to paradise that she could think of. The white sand beaches, the clear blue water, and the beautiful green forest of the island that made her eager to explore it made it just about perfect. Especially when she was with the man she loved more than any other on the planet.

As she stood on the balcony Lenna heard her name coming from below.

"Oh my dear Princess Lenna, will you let be with you this lovely day?"

Perring down at the grass below Lenna saw Bartz standing with a smile on his face as he looked lovingly up at his betrothed, having recited a line from a poetry book that Lenna liked to read.

"And I shall welcome thee, handsome prince, with open arms," she replied with her arms wide open as if calling to him.

Bartz chuckled first and Lenna giggled at her own words. Even if the manner in which she spoke was a bit of a jest, her words rang true.

With little effort Bartz began to climb the side wall that went up to Lenna's balcony. A fall climb and one story later he was able to reach her and they immediately embraced like they had not seen each other in a long while. a passionate kiss followed and when they parted they held onto each other for a few lingering moments.

"How is Boko?"

Bartz shrugged his shoulders, "Happy to be on dry land, he's not very fond of the ocean, but the fact he was able to join us on our trip makes me grateful to him."

"I agree, without him I do not know if we could have made it to the island...let alone leave the kingdom at all."

Taking a deep exhale Bartz released Lenna but held onto her hands, "We'll go see Boko together later." He sniffed the air, having smelled the food that Mooge had brought in earlier. "Room service?"

Lenna smiled a cute smile, "Yes, I ordered some while you were away."

Nodding in approval Bartz held onto Lenna's hand and walked her over to the table. He didn't realize how hungry he actually was until he saw all the food on the table, especially the meats. He didn't know what kind of meat was there but man did his mouth water at the sight of it. "Thank you, and we better eat before it gets ruined."

Lenna agreed before taking a seat as Bartz pushed in her chair, "Then we shall go see Boko."


	2. Chapter 2

Much like the rest of the resort the chocobo stalls were pretty well kept and Boco seemed to be enjoying himself after two days of running. He was the only bird in the stalls and the peace and quiet was well appreciated for him, though he became less relaxed when he saw his best pal Bartz and Lenna show up to visit him. Bartz he had seen earlier in the day but he seemed equally happy to see the princess. She always treated him well, showing him a level of affection that only a woman could give when she caressed his feathers and rubbed his neck.

"Thank you for all you have done, Boco," she whispered, showing her gratitude to the yellow bird but caressing his neck.

Bartz leaned on the wooden post next to her, "The moogles said he could stay here for the duration of our stay for free. He'll be given the VIP treatment as well, so he'll be taken well care of while we are here."

"We should thank them later." Then she spoke to Boco, "That means be a good boy while you're here, okay?"

Boco raised his head to the sky giving out a hearty 'Wark!'

The princess was happy with that response, "Good boy." She gave him one last pet before waving bye to him and beginning her walk back down the trail. Bartz gave him a thumbs up and followed the princess.

"We should visit him again soon, otherwise he'll be lonely being the only bird there," said Lenna as she reached the bottom of the hill. Bartz had caught up and walked beside her by the time she returned to the beach they had visited earlier.

While the ship itself was the main attraction of the area but Bartz instead led Lenna to the least deepest part of the shore. The rocks were bigger than they were but they were smooth and the water was only ankle deep in most places, which was good for Lenna as she didn't want to get her dress ruined on the first day. The white sand covered almost everything in the surrounding area and the sun was unimpeded with the sky being clear. It was quite a romantic scene in Bartz's eyes.

With the rocks as big as they were, it gave the adventurer an idea. He let go of the princess' hand and walked ahead of her, walking backwards as they approached a cluster of rocks. "I was thinking..."

Lenna tilted her head slightly, "About what?"

"How about instead of just walking around how about we do something a little more, you know, fun?" Bartz gave her a goofy grin.

She didn't know what he meant and asked, "What do you mean?"

He stopped walking and allowed her to get close, holding onto her hands and giving her a kiss on the forehead. Not expecting this but at the same time greatly appreciating it, Lenna closed her eyes.

"First keep your eyes closed, okay?"

She felt him move away from her, and Lenna did as she was told and waited for her next instruction. "Then what next?"

From a short distance away she heard Bartz reply, "Try and find me!"

Opening her eyes Lenna couldn't help but smile. Hide-and-seek, a game she had not played since she and her sister were children, was Bartz's idea of having fun?

Still, it was better than the usual ideas of having fun on an exotic island should be, she thought. "Very well then Bartz, read or not, here I come!"

She heard splashing in the distance but whether or not that was from Bartz or the waves going into the rocks she didn't know. Instead the princess went about playing this little game she had suddenly found herself in. The rocks were very big and easy to hide around, and with Bartz being as attentive as he normally was he would be easy to find. Lenna's only true advantage was if she ever got the drop on him. That was slim to none under these circumstances but she was still going to try.

She tried to creep around every rock that she could eventually she decided to cheat a little bit and use the rocks to her advantage as well. She climbed up a rather large rock and remained hidden at the edge so Bartz couldn't see her.

And there he was, kneeling down at the opposite side of the rock she had climbed on, oblivious to her presence.

The princess giggled lightly before she made her move. She slid down the rock and caught him by complete surprise. "Hey!"

She pounced on him, he fell back onto the water. "Got you, Bartz!"

He hadn't expected her to find him so fast, and thus his idea of fun was completely soured. "You cheated by climbing the rocks!"

He stopped moving, finding his head resting on her lap. Lenna's dress was ruined, as it wasn't made to be submerged in the water, but she didn't mind. She had fun, which was all that matter. "Still got you, though."

She giggled and she earned a chuckle from Bartz.


	3. Chapter 3

"Curfew is in effect, Mister Mog, and all the guests are in the hotel, kupo."

The staff of the resort was finishing up their rounds, putting papers away and cleaning up the desks while making sure everything was ready for the following morning. There was even a moogle checking the weather forecast for the next seven days, making sure the weather was in optimal conditions for a tropical vacation.

Mister Mog was floating around with his entourage of smaller moogles getting updates from them. For one moogle to run a resort was indeed a daunting challenge Mog didn't show any signs of stress at the job. He had been running it for a very long time, and had yet to run into something that would drive him nuts. Save for Kupo Nuts, that is.

He checked off a request form another moogle had offered him and moved onto another pressing matter. "By the way, I heard that the rocks behind the waterfall are cracking, kupo."

The smaller moogle named Mooge nodded, "Yes sir, kupo! Seems the gradual disintegration of the water on the rocks is making it crack."

"Why hadn't I been notified of this before? This could pose a threat to our guests, kupo!"

"We only discovered it today, kupo! A few guests notified us of rocks falling in the lagoon and we inspected it later in the afternoon. We plan to block off a section of the lagoon as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of everyone, kupo. After that we will begin working to make it stable again."

Mog sighed, "Well, least we found it before it crashed. Things could be a lot worse, kupo."

The two moogles then heard squeaking that gave them the impression that something was off. The moogle behind the large computer screen was going bonkers. So much so that his pom-pom looked like it would fly off any moment, "Mister Mog! We have a problem, kupo!"

Quickly the moogles all gathered around the desk but moved out of Mog's way when he approached, "What is it, kupo?" Going through his mind was all sorts of calamitous problems that could be the problem: ships discovering the island, an eidolon emerging from within the island, or even a swarm of vegetarian bugs that could eat the island's vegetation all went through his mind. However, none of those turned out to be the problem.

The smaller moogle brought a picture of a nasty looking storm heading towards the island, "It's terrible, kupo! Tropical storm fast approaching!"

The other moogles gave signs of panic but Mog remained steadfast.

"I see...and it doesn't look like it is going to miss us either, kupo..." There had been threats of tropical storms and hurricanes in the past but by multiple strokes of luck the resort had always been spared. This time the storm seemed to be heading right for it with no sign of diverting its path. What bothered Mog however was how fast the storm had formed; it was like it had come from out of nowhere.

"How long until it gets here, kupo?"

The moogle typed away at the keyboard and kept its eyes on the computer screen, "This time tomorrow night it will be at our doorstep, kupo. We should have visuals on it by sunrise though. We'll get the full force of it when it arrives, kupo!"

Another moogle approached the desk, "What should we do sir? We might have to lock down the island and keep everyone inside-"

Mog wasn't paying attention to anyone around him. Not out of panic or nervousness, the gears in his head were turning and protocols for such an event were beginning to be made in his mind.

He knew what needed to be done. "Nobody panic. I know what to do, kupo. It will take all night but we can do it, kupo."

Bartz and Lenna were inseparable after they returned to their room. Save for the time they spent to clean themselves up and change into their new night clothes they remained at each other's side.

The new clothes that had been provided by the moogles were simple but in Lenna's case it was more than elegant. While Bartz had been given a black and blue night shirt and black pants, Lenna had been given a white night gown with gold trim. It was loose fitting and had thin shoulder straps.

Eating dinner was slow but that was the way they wanted it. On the side they chatted about many things; Bartz's adventures through the world, Lenna's court appearances and, more recently, what made her decide to elope with Bartz away from the kingdom.

"My sister left me with very little choice. I couldn't live under her shadow any longer," said the former princess.

Bartz agreed with her, "You must live your own life, right?"

Nodding Lenna finished her meal before devoting herself to the topic at hand. "She wanted me to rule and lead the people and kingdom, but while it's what my father would have wanted from me, I don't think he would have told me to forgo my desires either." She sat back in the chair, her mind in all sorts of inner conflict. "I can never return home now, nor can I rest while my sister looks for me."

Bartz reached across the table and held onto her hand, a reassuring gesture which she appreciated.

The princess smiled, "But I am not worried…I have made my decision and I will live with it. As long as I have you, I can live happily."

This time Bartz smiled, "Good, and I will do whatever I can to make you happy."

They held onto each other's hands for many moments, content with themselves and to ease the beating of hearts before they went on to bed for the night.

The vacation was still far from over.


	4. Hot Morning

When Lenna awoke that morning the first thing she noticed was that Bartz was gone. Though he had left without saying a word she knew he more than likely went to see Boko and thus wasn't far away. She sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes, noticing how the sheets of the bed were scattered around. Not that she was complaining, she felt hot and sticky to the touch. The humidity that poured in from outside through the balcony doors was no doubt the culprit of that nightmare. Still, the princess got out of the bed and went to wash up in the bathroom. She brushed her hair and used the bathroom as well as dried off the slickness of her skin before she came back to humming a tune to herself. Not too long after she heard a knock on the main door of the room. It opened and in came a moogle with a serving cart felled to the brim with delicious morsels that one would call a breakfast meal. Flapjacks and cereal with toast on the side was merely an appetizer compared to what she had been accustomed to eating at home. Still, this was the kind of meal Bartz was used to eating she wanted to be used to it like he was. No privilege for her this time. Lenna sat down at the table, "Good morning."

The moogle squeaked, "Morning miss, kupo! Sleep well?"

Sighing lightly the princess sat back in her chair, "As best as I could, with the weather being this terrible I am surprised I got any sleep at all."

"The humidity is up due to a tropical storm approaching the island, kupo. It should be here by mid-afternoon."

Lenna felt her heart sink. "Another storm?"

The moogle replied, feeling her disappointment, "Yup. It's bigger than the last one to roll through here, kupo. As if that weren't bad enough it's gonna hit the resort head on as well."

Folding her arms under her chest the princess looked towards the balcony doors, where she could clearly see the storm approaching the island. Black clouds and streaks of lightning could be seen in the mass, and she felt further despair creep into her being. She sighed.

"Well, then I suppose I should think of some way to prepare for it..."

"Oh princess!"

That voice wasn't from the moogle, but it was music to the girl's ears. She smiled and quickly ran out onto the balcony. The bright morning sun shined down onto her and the heat hit her like a wall but none of that mattered as she saw her beloved Bartz down beneath her ledge.

Bartz was dressed in white and purple shorts and had no shirt on nor any sort of protection from the hot sun save for a layer of sunscreen, which glistened in the light. Putting his hands on his hips the young adventurer asked in a fanciful tone, "My lovely Lenna, how goes your morning?"

Smiling down at him Lenna pointed to the horizon, "Would be better were it not for that."

Bartz had noticed the storm when he had left earlier that morning, and while he knew it was a drag on another wise uneventful morning he tried not to let it bother him. He spoke to Lenna, "The day is hot but it has only just started. By the time the storm gets here I will make sure you have a good day."

"I know you will, love," said the princess. She watched him make his way up the side of the building, climbing up the wall to get to the balcony where she waited for him with open arms. He took her in with his own embrace and kissed her forehead. Then he smelled something sweet in the air, that of the syrup the moogle was pouring out inside. "Flapjacks?"

Lenna nodded, "That's right. Breakfast just got here, and the moogles went all out this morning."

Holding on her hand Bartz and Lenna went inside. Bartz was dressed for the outside but he was sticky and slimy from the heat, even though he had only gone to see Boko at the stables.

The moogle saw Bartz and didn't sound too happy about seeing him. "Were it not for the princess owning this place you'd be in trouble for violating the curfew, kupo."

Shrugging his shoulders Bartz went on without a care in the world. Lenna however didn't like the tone the moogle had used and she let him know about it with a questionable glare. The moogle saw it and shut up about the subject from then on.

"Boko is getting restless in the stables. He wants to run," said Bartz as he took a drink of ice cold milk.

"Think it has something to do with the storm?" asked Lenna.

"That or just the fact that he hates the heat. We've travelled to many places in our lifetime but he absolutely hates the heat the most. Deserts, tropical climates, anyplace where he sweats buckets ruffles his feathers." Bartz wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "Can't say I blame him."

Lenna made herself a bowl of cereal, "Our options for today will be severely limited thanks to the storm."

The moogle finished setting the dishes on the table and spoke, "It shouldn't be here until the afternoon, but when it does approach you will be informed, so please have your fun until then, kupo."

Nodding once in thanks Lenna went on with her breakfast. Bartz must have been hungry because he wasted very little time in downing a whole stack of flapjacks and a couple pieces of toast.


End file.
